Missives From The Royal Palace: Princess Farhana's thoughts on dancers and dancing; costuming, make up, reviews,vignettes and oh yeah....glitter!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

GOING GREEN IN 2014

If you want to start the New Year off in a
healthy way, the best thing you can do for yourself is to drink green juice. At the risk of sounding like a preachy health nut, I gotta say that this practice has really changed my life...and my body!

I make my own and drink it every day. Drinking
the homemade juice concoctionand
staying well hydrated with water will supply you with much-needed nutrients and antioxidants, make your skin glow with health, give you
boundless energy and shiny hair, keep your muscles and tendons supple and
dance-ready.

Bottled green juice is available almost everywhere, but it’s expensive…and some brands masquerade as “healthy” but
they’re actually loaded with sugar, and all the natural fiber of the veggies is
lacking too. When I make my own juice, I don’t use a juicer. While these gadgets
are great, I like to make a chunky smoothie because itretains the nutrients and fiber of the fruits
and veggies I mix into the batch. Not only that, many of themare impossible to clean!

I use a Nutri-Bullet ( my new favorite toy!)which is a power mixer that has two different
sized cups –including to-go tops- and two different blades as well. It’s super
easy to clean, and once you’ve blended your smoothie you can pop on the to-go
lid and head out to dance class.If you
don’t own a Nutri-Bullet,don’t let that
stop you! A regular blender will do just fine.I used one for years, it’s just a little harder to clean and you have to
churn it longer than the Nutri-Bullet.But hey, it’ll serve it’s purpose.

The juice recipe I’m about to give you will
turn a sickly, almost fluorescent shade of green, but man oh man does it taste
good! The texture is silky from thebanana, refreshing from the cucumber and celery, and sweet from the
fruit.It doesn’t in any way, shape of
form taste bitter or “Good For You”, i.e.
Gag Worthy.

Here’s what you put your the blender- this
makes enough juice/smoothie to drink all day long!

1/2 banana

3 or 4 large handfuls of fresh kale

2 or 3 large handfuls of
fresh spinach

½small or medium sized zucchnini

¼cucumber ( if the skin is waxed, peel it or
cut it away)

2 or 3 broccoli florets

1 stalk celery, de-stringed

½ a medium sized apple, cut into chunks

1small
handful offresh or frozen pineapple
chunks ( or about ¼ can of canned pineapple )

Mix inabout a cup and a half of water…or watermixed with fresh orstore-bought orange juice, brewed and cooled
green tea, or even almond milk or coconut water- your choice!

Sometimes I add ( or substitute) fresh or
frozen berries, orange or tangerine segments, chunks of mango or peaches. Once
in a while, I’ll use a dollop or twoof
Greek yoghurt.

You can also put a tablespoon
of protein or greens powder into it- or both… or add chia seeds, flax seeds or
ground cinnamon, they all have anti-oxidant properties!

Blend well, drink up, and be well!

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Design by Maharet Christina Hughes, Foreword by Artemis Mourat

My new book, “The Belly Dance Handbook” will
go on sale on January 11, 2014!

No matter what style of belly dance you do, or if you
didn't know there is more than
one style, you need this book
in your arsenal. Everyone will
learn from this world-renowned dance master's experiences. After all, not just anyone earns the title Princess!

-Kajira
Djoumahna, author of The Tribal Bible

Princess Farhana entertainingly brings you everything
(really everything!) you need to know about navigating the treacherous waters
of becoming a professional dancer…or a consummately polished
performer. Sew a secret compartment in your dance bag for Princess Farhana’s
gem of a book, and take control of your destiny!

-Marta Schill, author of The Compleat Belly Dancer

Princess Farhana brings us all closer to the
dancers we would like to somehow become, the dancers we want to grow up to be.
She is absolutely glittering, shimmering and pulsating with life – which is
what you want in a dancer, a teacher, an artist, a friend, a mentor, and a
force of nature.